The Oregon Fruit Company, a family-owned fruit processor based in Oregon's Willamette Valley since 1935, has promoted Carrie Blomquist to president. Blomquist had served as the company's vice president of sales and marketing since 2023, and is the first woman to lead the company in its 91-year history.

Blomquist joined Oregon Fruit from Tillamook County Creamery Association, bringing more than two decades of experience in brand and category growth. During her tenure she helped guide the company's expansion from a traditional fruit-for-fermentation supplier into a broader foodservice and fruit-for-beverage business, work that included Oregon Fruit's 2024 brand refresh and the 2025 launch of Oregon Fruit Real Fruit Refreshers.

As president, Blomquist will build on a strategy she calls “defend and advance”: protecting the company's canned, fermentation and foodservice lines, the products and channels that have long been the backbone of the business, while pushing into fruit-for-beverage, where the company anticipates the strongest growth. Oregon Fruit says foodservice has climbed from roughly 10% of its business a couple of years ago to about 42% today, tracing an evolution from cans to foodservice purees, aseptic purees, and fruit-for-beverage products.

“I'm deeply honored to step into this role,” said Blomquist. “Over the past three years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside an incredible team as we've strengthened the business, deepened customer relationships and built momentum for growth. I'm excited to help lead this 91-year-old, family-owned, Oregon-rooted company through its next phase of growth.”

“For the past year, Carrie has been leading Oregon Fruit from behind the scenes,” said Ed Maletis, chairman of The Oregon Fruit Company. “That gave her the chance to prove she was already a natural fit, and it gave me, our board and, most importantly, our employees the utmost confidence to make it official. She was the clear choice to lead our next chapter.”

Why It Matters

The promotion cements Oregon Fruit's pivot toward beverage and foodservice at a time when fruit-forward drinks and better-for-you refreshers are among the fastest-growing categories. Beverage developers and operators can expect the 91-year-old processor to keep leaning into aseptic purees and ready-to-drink formats.

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Written by FBM Publications Editors